The present invention concerns an explosion-proof mat. Such mats are especially employed to protect the structures that enclose occupant accommodations in vehicles. They comprise several layers of textile impact-resistant sheet saturated with impregnating material and conforming to the shape of the accommodation-enclosing structure. The invention also concerns a method of manufacturing such mats.
Mats and covering of this type are known from the cladding of armored-vehicle floors. They are manufactured with woven impact-resistant sheet material, sheets of aramid of the types known from the manufacture of bullet-proof vests for example. The known covering comprises approximately six layers of woven aramid laid against the floor of the vehicle and saturated with impregnating material to produce a molding that includes the layers and prevents them from absorbing moisture. This procedure requires considerable manual labor. It is also time-consuming because the impregnating material can take several days to cure completely, during which no other operations are possible inside the vehicle. Although the woven aramid does render covering of this type sufficiently resistant to the force of artillery, mines, bombs, and grenades, it is not rigid enough to resist the compressive forces that accompany explosions. A standard armored-vehicle test explosion can buckle a floor protected with the known covering more than 30 cm. This result represents a considerable hazard for the occupants.
Covering that is rigid enough to resist the force of an explosion is known. It comprises compression-molded composites of glass-fiber reinforced plastic approximately 12 mm thick. However, this product has drawbacks. One drawback is that it weighs approximately 24 kg/m.sup.2. Another is that a mold that conforms to the shape of the floor is needed for each model of vehicle, which adds to the expense.